Loud Bass Music May have Killed Teenager

Tom Reid, a 19-year old university student, was at a club in Camden in north London. When Reid and his friend, Alisha Riseley, were pushed towards the speakers, Reid said to Riseley that his heart felt “funny”, and that he thought that the bass was causing his heart to beat very fast. The two went to see the club’s medic, but Reid suddenly collapsed. The Metro says that “paramedics tried to restart his heart but within two hours he was declared dead in [the] hospital.” There were no traces of drugs or alcohol in Reid’s body; the coroner declared that Reid passed away due to a genetic condition called sudden arrythmic death syndrome (SADS).

SADS is an abnormality with the electrical system of the heart. Various triggers could cause the arrhythmia, which in turn deprives the brain of blood, causing loss of consciousness and sometimes death. Ellen Mason, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, says that the loud music may have triggered an arrhythmia in Reid’s otherwise healthy heart. Visit the SADS Foundation’s website for more information on the condition.